Within recent years the realization of the reliance upon petroleum products for energy has results in a more conscious awareness of the substantial consumption and inefficiency of the internal combustion engine, the high cost of gasoline, and the reliance upon petroleum imports as well as the environmental problems that have been publicized through ecological movements. A broad range of devices for increasing mileage, decreasing fuel consumption and removing pollutants from the atmosphere have been goals sought to be achieved by governmental controls, consumers and environmentalists.
Various types of carburetors have been designed with the objective of increasing mileage and decreasing fuel consumption. Ultrasonic acoustic energy has been employed in combination with various types of carburation to improve engine performance and fuel economy. Various types of heating means and vaporization means have been conceived to improve engine performance and fuel economy as well as to utilize various types of fuels and to formulate combustible mixtures which include water or water vapor.
It has been determined that by the utilization of radio frequency energy waves produced through microwave energy propagation that liquids may be volatilized and heated preliminary to introduction into the cylinders of an internal combustion engine for improving fuel consumption by what is considered to be a superior means for virtually instantaneous volatilization and heating of liquids within a controlled zone to generate a more intimate heated combustible mixture. Mileage on a standard automobile has been increased at least 50 percent in many extended tests by utilizing a mixture of gasoline and water which mixture has been subjected initially to microwave energy to volatilize and heat the mixture. Pollutants have been reduced and no adverse engine deterioration or maintenance has been experienced.
Therefore, it is an objective of this invention to provide a high frequency microwave system to volatilize and heat liquid for use in internal combustion engines to improve fuel consumption and mileage.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a magnetron for propagating microwave energy to volatilize and heat a liquid which may include water or a mixture of a hydrocarbon and water for consumption in an internal combustion engine.
Yet another objective of this invention is the provision of a method for vaporizing and heating liquid for combustion in an internal combustion engine by subjecting liquid to be used in combustion to the high level of microwave energy before introduction into the combustion chamber.
A further objective of this invention is the provision of a readily convertible adaptation and installation of a radio frequency microwave unit and associated components to a standard internal combustion engine as well as to new engines with minimum modifications at reasonable expense.
Other objectives and many of the advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the apparatus and from the method taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. It will be readily apparent also that many modifications may be made to the type of magnetron or microwave energy unit and power supply employed as well as the specific component orientation.